The Child of the Sun and the Moon
by NemoAves
Summary: A Boffins Snow white and the Seven Dwarves AU. Has Bilbo/Bofur Thorin/Ori Dwalin/Lobelia and some sad Bungo/Belladonna Part 3 of my "Hobbit Theatre" series. Hope you enjoy!
1. Prologue - Pale Moon, Bright Sun

_For Rosa_Cotton ( a user from Archive of Our Own) who gave me the idea! :D_

_I won nothing! Please Enjoy!_

Prologue - Pale Moon, Bright Sun

There once was a nobleman, a fair and just man who oversaw the welfare of his territory like a mighty king would his Kingdom. He held the respect of many of his fellow lords and others. Eventually he took a wife, a vibrant and beautiful woman from a clan known not just for their strength of mind, body and heart but also for their preference of causality and comfort despite being (for the most part) nobility. The two were very happy together and all rejoiced.

And then one day, he died.

For all appearances, it would seem like the work of some pox. But the Lady knew better, she had seen many things in her travels to places far and wide. She could see that more than some inner ailment had stolen her love from her, though the culprit she could not discover.

With concern for the child she carried she asked for both the Sun-in honor of her husband's beliefs- and the Moon- her clan had always paid homage to her- to protect her child both night and day from those who would wish to do harm.

Soon enough she gave birth to a boy, with hair as brown as the earth and eyes as blue as the far away sea. It was not long after that she found her prayers had been answered, for it was seen that in the direct brightness of the sun her boy's hair would shine with hidden highlights of gold and his lightly tanned skin would seem to be kissed by the sun, while in the light of the pale moon his brown hair would look black as ebony with his skin washing out to gleam brightly like snow and his pink lips reddening like a rose.

As the boy grew it would be seen that he not only had ways with the plants of the earth but also with magic, he and people around him could not be seen or followed by mystical means and he could sense magic or evil in others or in objects. The Lady was proud of her young lad and was raising him to be as good a man as his father was while being as brave and outgoing as herself.

But, alas, their happiness was not to remain for eventually the Lady began to waste away. All manner of healers were called, but none of their potions and solutions worked for very long. The young boy cried, for he could tell that whatever was taking his mother was not of this world, but he could do nothing beside comfort her.

It was then that the late Lord's cousin came to the land, his reasons so as to "watch over" the family and his kin's estate. He seemed bright and friendly to the Lady and the lad, but she made sure to hide her son's true nature from him, only those she trusted utmost knew of her son's true talents. Because this cousin was the next of kin of the Lady's husband not too many complaints were made about his presence within the large manor and surrounding lands.

Not long after the Lady's soul passed to be with her husband.

To the shock of all it was revealed that the manor was left completely to the cousin instead of the late Lord's son, who-though young- was not too far away of being of age and already knew how to manage the estate with only a little help.

Rumors began to spread, as well as unrest. The new lord began to show his true colors, he began to run his house with an iron fist and restricted the young lad from doing much of what he did before. More word spread of the man's change of person, new, darker servants were put to work with the manor's original staff and he began to spend many hours in his study apparently talking to some unknown figure. But when a maid managed to spy on him one day, all she saw was the lord talking to a large mirror upon one wall. She tied to see more but suddenly she was discovered.

She was flogged so severely upon the spot that had other servants not rushed in to rescue her she would have died. It was then that the lord began to be crueler to those under his power, but none tried to leave; their will would crumble when the thought entered their minds. Any efforts to intervene on the situation within from the Lord and Lady's families were terminated either by the armed forces of the evil lord or by death and disease.

The lad grew sad, for although he wished for them-and himself- to leave he also did not want to be left alone. And he would not leave the land of his father and mother, the land he loved dearly.

He was left to fend for himself.

And that is where the story of one Bilbo Baggins begins.


	2. The Mirror Speaks

_Hello All! Hope you enjoy!_  
_I own nothing!_  
_And remember, 8888 means a simultaneous scene while 8888888888888 means a scene hours later, my quirky shorthand._

One- The Mirror Speaks

Bilbo huffed as he gave a final tug to pull his bucket full of water from the well, this was one of the few good wells left and as consequence one had to drop the bucket very low to get a full amount of water. With a sigh he transferred the water to the pail he had brought with him and then reset the well for the next person who needed it. As he walked back to the main house Bilbo took in a large breath of fresh air, it was a surprisingly nice day. He lifted his face to bask in the rare rays of pure sunshine, the few brown curls that escaped his green cloak-hood shined brightly and his skin glowed lightly. Any who saw him would've thought he was some forest spirit or apparition.

After a moment or two more he came back to himself and continued on his way,

_This is no time for dawdling! Today the traveling market opens in these parts and this year I am going! _

With this thought as motivation Bilbo made his quick way back to the kitchens so as to deliver the water Shamira, the head cook and master of the kitchens, had asked him to fetch. Even before his mother's passing Bilbo had loved to help in the kitchens, seeing the gifts from the earth made into even more lovely things to eat was always a delight. He guessed that's why he retreated there-and to the waiting arms of Shamira and the other servants- after things went from bad to worse with his "uncle" Clovis.

That man…had changed after the lovely Belladonna had died, Bilbo had felt it. The man had gone from not being readable at all, to just oozing mal-intent, and magic. And every time Bilbo saw him- which thankfully wasn't very much- it only grew worse. Bilbo prayed that things would work out in the end, but as long as his parent's final will said Clovis would have the manor, he was nothing but a poor guest in his very own home.

Bilbo shook the bad thoughts from his mind, today was not the day for brooding. He smiled as he was welcomed back into the kitchen by the workers within.

"'Bout time ye came back." drawled Juno, a young half-dwarf girl that was one of Shamira's assistant cooks.

Bilbo rolled his eyes good naturedly, and was about to retort when he was cut off.

"Says the girl who is taking an age to peel me my potatoes!" said Shamira, eyeing her daughter with a critical eye and a large grin.

While Juno blushed the third assistant cook Zan let out loud chuckles as he diced vegetables for that day's midday meal, it was to be a hearty stew to offset the early spring chill.

Bilbo let out a sigh as he placed the water next to Juno- and quickly made a face at her which she returned with a grin- and turned back Shamira in time for a hug. The dwarf-woman was always bestowing affection upon him, she had come with his mother after she married his father Lord Baggins as a sort of all-purpose assistant and had found her place in leading the kitchens. She was like an aunt to him and he thanked the Moon and Sun for her presence in his life every day.

"Sha I have finished with the usual chores, is there anything else you need of me?" He tried to keep himself from looking anxious as much as possible but Shamira saw right through him as always. She grinned as she said

"Why? Got some place to go, do we love? The market perhaps?"

He could only grin innocently in response.

With a laugh she said "All right, all right. Go clean yourself up and go enjoy it. But make sure no one sees you leave."

She leaned forward then and handed him a small pouch of money before continuing, "Go buy yourself something nice and if you find any interesting tidbits to cook with don't hesitate to pick some up some for the kitchen."

Much more softly she added "And keep your hood up."

He nodded and left the kitchen, a grin on his face. As he walked down the hall toward his room he could hear Juno complain

"Hey! How come he gets to skip on afternoon work?!"

_88888_

Clovis Baggins, lord of the estate of Bag-End and its surrounding lands up until the territories of neighboring noblemen began, sole authority of those under his thumb with the lack of a proper king on the throne of the nearby kingdom, sat and brooded. He brooded for the fact that truly, he was not a man and he wished he was where he was meant to be.

For in truth he was a troll, the King of the Golden-Bearded trolls in point of fact. Or at least he had been. His true name was Jarogniew, son of Zbigniew. He had been making designs on expanding his territory, namely the land a certain nobleman had currently been occupying. He was just about to send his plans into motion when his good for nothing nephew Leutwin told not only the nobleman but also his mother, his dear sister Reut.

She spared no time in confronting him upon the matter, and when he refused to concede even when she brought up that it was in violation of ancient laws- he didn't give a horse's arse about laws, the lands had valuable riches and good Sun-infused soil!- she challenged him for the right to rule. To his ever-lasting chagrin she had defeated him and banished him. But he had gotten back at her, in secret he had had her son, the little rat, killed. He had made it look like an accident and none could point to him or anyone else as responsible. He would have tried to kill her too but her magic had always been more powerful, she'd be able to smell his plans towards her from miles away.

With that he had set his sights on getting back at the nobleman, but he could not. At least at first. Thanks to his late nephew's interference the nobleman was prepared, he had placed Sun charms and barriers all around the borders of his land. Keeping those with bad intentions out. Jarogniew had nearly choked with frustration and rage, his magic could do nothing.

He searched for something to aid him in his "quest" and found the cave of this…thing…that collected items, both magical and mundane. He was an odd fellow-he assumed it was a fellow for it only wore a loincloth and had a flat chest- and talked to himself regularly. In exchange for a simple ring that could turn its wearer invisible he was given leave to take any item that caught his fancy.

That is when he saw it, a magical mirror with a gold frame decorated in serpents and shining with magic. He could not believe the find, quickly he took leave of the creature with his trade and returned to what had been his hideout at the time. It was there he had learned of the magic's true power.

There are many magic mirrors in the world, all of them do different things. Some show the past, some glimpses of the future, and some the inner hearts of those before it. But a few, a special few, held a slave within. A spirit with advanced clairvoyance and knowledge, some dark texts speak of the details but it is unknown if the spirit within is either of the living or a devil.

But either way the slave within the mirror would be loyal to the current owner of it, though, it is warned, that the spirit will at times have its own agenda or simply wish to only speak half-truths. The former troll king had not been worried and persuaded the spirit to help him in his quest.

With the help of the mirror Jarogniew had cursed the human with illness when he finally ventured past his land's borders and later had taken over the form of the true Clovis Baggins to infiltrate his enemy's former estate. It was there he had found his lonely widow and runt of a son. Again with the help of the mirror and his own cunning Jarogniew made sure to gain control of the lands and disposed of the mother as he had the father.

He had contemplated on killing the son, but thought better of it. He could be of use someday, if not as a pawn than as a tasty morsel when he finally finished growing and Jarogniew found the mood for it. He simply decided to push the lad to the side and forgot him, the boy never resisted so he never spared him a thought.

After gaining control of the lands and the populace Jarogniew secretly sent word to those still loyal to him and had them come to his new base of operations where they began work on retaking his kingdom. But, to his utter aggravation, no plans he had begun came to fruition. All because he did not have the magic to rival his sister's, he could charge a full frontal assault that might take many lives, but it would destroy his kingdom and mostly likely himself.

His sister was just as cunning as he and had her own tricks. All of mother's good magic went to her.

All assassination attempts had failed, and more often than not he had had to hide and repress his magic to avoid being discovered in this guise. So here he was, years later. Stuck in a land of depleting magic and _mortals and dwarves_, he slapped his hand on the oaken desk before him and looked to mirror upon the far wall.

It was currently inactive, it's glass opaque. He moved toward it and raised his hands. In a commanding tone he began.

"_Slave in the magic mirror, _

_Come from the farthest space."_

Smoke and fire rippled within the confines of the glass.

_"Through wind and darkness I summon thee! _

_Speak! _

_Let me see thy face!"_

As the flames died down a figure appeared from the darkness, a "face" that was more of a mask. It looked like something from a play or human festival, the "skin" was bone white with gold detailing around the "eyes" and had bright red pouty lips. From said lips a voice came, it was a lilting melodic tone that made one think of a woman in her twenties.

"How shall I help thee today master?"

"We have to find another way to give me more power. We have tried charms, animal sacrifice and magical items. I need blood magic! Tell me of the most powerful spell possible to give one power that requires a sacrifice or tribute."

The "face" looked at him for a few moments, and then seemed to smile.

"There is one such spell I know of. One must take a pure soul who has been blessed by two Great Gods, at noon on the day of a great full moon the individual must be killed and have their heart taken. With the heart make a potion with eye of newt, griffin's feather and a fish's entrails, drink the potion and your magic will strengthen a thousand fold."

Jarogniew grinned at the news, but then frowned.

"How am I to find and then gain access to the one I need?"

Again the "face" smiled, but it seemed more like a smirk.

"Why look under thy very own roof of course. One of such caliber resides here."

His brows raised and he asked eagerly.

"Who?!"

"The Child of the Sun and the Moon. One Bilbo Baggins."

_Yes that is a title drop! hahaha_  
_Okay what the troll says to summon the mirror is what the queen says in the original snow white movie._  
_Okay Shamira means guardian, Juno is strength I think and Zan means support._  
_Jarogniew basically means one of anger while Zbigniew means resist anger. Leutwin means bold, brave friend and Reut means friend as well._  
_The "ingredients" of the spell are completely from my imagination._

_I think that about covers it! Enjoy and tell me what you think!_


	3. Plans are Made

_I keep re-watching disney's snowwhite for this story, gah! Anyway enjoy and tell me what you think!_

_I own nothing._

Two- Plans are Made.

Bofur the dwarf whistled softly as he worked on he and his kinsmen's stall, it was a collapsible thing made of rich dark wood that he and his cousin Bifur had made together.

"Must you always be so happy and cheerful in the morning?" Asked a dwarf who came up beside him and started placing goods upon the finished counter. While Bofur wore his dark hair in two curling tails he wore his free and loose with a braid here and there. The two of them wore simple but good quality clothes with jeweled and leathered belts as such was dwarfen custom. Bofur grinned.

"It's after noon actually, and not everyone has to be a grumpy sourpuss after first waking up from a night o' drinking me Lord Thorin."

Thorin huffed good-naturedly and said with a rueful smile, "You try keeping that infernal smile of yours after sleeping next to a snoring Dwalin, that dwarf sounds more like a cave troll than a child of Mahal."

As the two laughed a third dwarf came up to the counter and started adding to the display with his own armload of goods. He was dressed similarly and held his white hair in intricate braiding. Conversationally he asked "Have either of you seen Nori? He went on perimeter patrol hours ago and still hasn't come back?"

"Sorry Dori, haven' seen him. But don't worry, ye know how Nori is. Sees a lead and follows it." Said Bofur reassuringly as he readjusted the furred hat on his head.

"He's right my friend, your brother can take care of himself. He's probably busy catching up with his local contacts in the area. You know he was eager to get news, the good Queen Reut's realm is our next stop after all." Said Thorin as he put a comforting hand upon the worried dwarf's shoulder.

Dori sighed and rubbed the side of his face, he knew he was a worry-wart but he couldn't help himself. His younger sister was already in hiding, he just wanted to keep an eye on the little brother that always seemed to be in the middle of everything.

"Alright, alright. Bofur be a dear and fetch more rubies and opals? You know how the women love those along with the diamonds and sapphires."

"Right-o, more sparkly things for the lovely females." He said cheerfully and went away.

The two chuckled at his antics and looked out over the area in front of them. Their little motely troupe of miners and tinkerers had been traveling to this spot for this land's "Great Traveling Market" for a number of years now and it had never been like this before.

The Market this year was both much larger and less grand than years before. The great fields it was held in were yellow and dry, the grass thoroughly trampled into the dry dirt. Trees looked desiccated and their leaves looked limp and dull. Many stalls were grimy looking and sold ordinary items one would- or at least should- be able to get at any local town market or square along with a few specialty items one would expect to see at an annual event.

"The people keep getting poorer, and the lands sicker." Said Dori quietly.

"That's what happens when evil is left to ravage a leaderless land." Rumbled Thorin darkly.

Across the area, past stalls and displays a figure slinked about through the thickening crowds. Despite his rather singular hairstyle the dwarf went by rather unnoticed. Nori of the siblings Ri took in the subdued festival around him, taking full advantage of being waist level of most of the crowd.

After a while he came upon a stall displaying the works of the local blacksmith, tools and weapons were made in a variety of styles and sizes. Dwarfs to humans and all between could look over the quality work and most likely find something of suitable size and excellent quality. Nori looked at the half dwarf lad sitting at the counter and gave a friendly grin.

"Timur, where is your mother Minerva?"

"Went on break for some mead and some food, she's sulking since her girlfriend hasn't come back from her hunting trip yet."

Nori raised his brows, "Bard isn't around?"

"Nay, she hasn't been about for five days now. She should have gotten back yesterday and no one's seen hide nor hair of her."

"Huh." Nori rubbed his chin, he didn't like this.

"Do you know which stall exactly she would be by?"

"She went over to Gregor's, his pub's one of the few places doing very well year round so this year he was able ta put the coin out to rent a large space and has a fenced off eatin' area with bar maids and everything."

Nori nodded his head and discretely slid a few gold coins toward the lad- who took it just as deftly- before heading off in search of a probably drunk off her arse dwarf blacksmith. On his way he managed to bump into a green hooded figure that was just a few inches taller than himself.

"Oh! Pardon me." The stranger said nervously before heading off into the crowd, leaving Nori to shake off the encounter and carry on his way.

Bilbo breathed out a sigh, he was glad that dwarf hadn't gotten mad at him for carelessly knocking into him- or at least he hadn't stuck around to see if he was- he didn't want any problems today. After spending the last few years slinking about in the shadows and the lesser populated parts of the land he was finally in a crowded market! Finally for the first time in years since his mother's death he was at the Traveling Festival!

Bilbo walked through the crowd, looking in interest at displays of flowers and textiles, of books and vegetables, of mirrors and other hand-crafted goods. He whiled away a good amount of time in wonder and a bit of sadness at everything he saw. He could remember how it was like with his mother and it all was so different for so many reasons.

Banners once bright now looked dingy or faded, some stalls or displays were nothing more that pieces of junk-wood fitted together like an irregular puzzle, several times he saw nothing but blankets upon the ground for a seller's wares to be displayed upon. But the people still smiled, were still cheerful as they could be. Bilbo heard laughter and music and smelled the good smells of delicious food.

So he continued on his way….until he bumped into someone else.

This individual was a tad more solid, and caught him easily about the shoulders. The first thing Bilbo noted was that they had a very peculiar hat, all fur and fluff and stitching, second he noted they had quite the warm laugh. Backing up he noticed that once more he had knocked into a dwarf, one with warm eyes and a large smile. He came to just about Bilbo's chin-mid-face if you counted the hat- and was strong enough to quickly pull them both quickly out of the rush of the crowd and into a side corner between two stalls.

"A distracted one, aren' ye?" He asked with a laugh.

Trying and failing to ignore that the two of them were in very close quarters-and how handsome the other male was- Bilbo tried his best to apologize. "I am so sorry I knocked into you Mr. Dwarf-"

"Name's Bofur lad, Bofur o' the clan Ur at yer service! And tis all right. Couldn't be mad at such a pretty thing even if I tried." The dwarf gave a wink and a grin as he spoke and Bilbo could feel his face heating up despite himself.

"Now, what's yer name?"

"Bilbo, Bilbo B-Underhill. Yes, Bilbo Underhill is my name." He grinned sheepishly, Bilbo didn't want anyone to know he had been here.

Bofur looked at him a moment, searchingly, but smiled and said "Nice to make yer acquaintance Mr. Underhill."

It was at that moment that the light clouds in the sky broke a bit and some sunshine came through. The light came down upon Bilbo's uncovered face and curls-his hood had partially come off in his run in with the dwarf- and caused them to shine.

Bofur's breath caught in his throat.

"My, ye _are_ a pretty thing. Practically glowin' in the light." He said in some quiet awe, his hand half raised as if he wanted to touch Bilbo's face.

With sudden horror Bilbo squeaked out "Glowing?!"

He reached up and quickly recovered his head with his green hood and looked about wildly to see if anyone else had seen. Thankfully it seemed none had noticed and Bilbo tuned back to Bofur in time to see the dwarf giving him a complete once over, from lightly shod feet to hood. He could feel his cheeks pinking again at the scrutiny.

"Ye magic or something lad?" He asked, in a surprisingly conversational manner.

"Shh! Keep your voice down! P-please tell no one of what you saw." He whispered in a panicked tone.

Bofur raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Peace lad, peace. I won't breathe a word…if ye tell me why exactly that happened." Here he raised a brow and Bilbo could only stare at him.

"What?"

"Seems like an interesting story, and I'm a big fan o' drinking and listening to an interesting story. Especially from one as lovely as yerself. Not to mention ye look like ye could use a friend. I'll buy the mead."

Bilbo stared at the dwarf before him, from his mostly clean clothes to his friendly smile and his bright eyes. He could sense no evil or magic- other than the basic you would get from a dwarf- in his person. Just simple curiosity and warmth was all he felt. Something in Bilbo stirred then and before he could stop himself he agreed.

"Alright. If you're paying for the drinks."

The dwarf's answering smile was so bright Bilbo couldn't stop from giving a small smile himself.

"Wonderful. Ol' Gregor's display isn't too far, and there we can get ourselves a nice private table!"

With that he grabbed Bilbo's hand and started leading him through the crowd.

"I-I know where it is!" He stuttered.

He got a laugh as answer. "I'm sure ye do."

Bofur still didn't let go of his hand. When they neared the stall Bofur stopped and let go of Bilbo's hand. The young man blinked at what he saw, leaving the fenced off area were two dwarfs. One was the local blacksmith Minerva Quirke, obviously drunk as you please and the other had a very interesting hairstyle and a frown upon his face.

Bilbo held in a sigh at the realization that it was the dwarf he had "met" earlier.

_Of course…_ He thought in resign.

"Nori, is everything alright?" Bofur asked. Nori had gone to talk to Minerva hours ago, and something told him he indeed had.

"O', evr' thing is just peachy keen!" Slurred Minerva happily. She turned from Bofur to the lad beside him.

"O'! Hullo Bilbo dear, so nice ta see ya." She leaned forward as she spoke which caused her support to lean with her and grumble.

"H-hello Minerva. Is everything alright?"

Her air seemed to quiet then and she gave a flat "No."

"Bofur can you help me here? I'll explain on the way." There was irritation and a sense of urgency in the dwarf's tone. After he had spoken he gave Bilbo a look and raised a brow, he remembered him.

Bilbo could do no more than give an apologetic smile.

With a sigh Bofur quickly came upon Minerva's other side and helped his friend support her. He then turned to Bilbo with a repentant look and said "Seems we will be havin' to rain check. Meet me tomorrow after dusk in front o' me and my kin's stall to try again?"

As he spoke he and his friend had begun moving down toward the way Bofur had originally been walking from when Bilbo had run into him.

"Ah- yes. I would. Which is it?"

"A jeweler and miner stall, we're called the The Seven Sons!"

"Then I will meet you tomorrow."

"It's a date then." Bofur said before he disappeared into the crowd with a smile and a wave.

"Who was that?" Nori asked with interest.

"A _lovely_ new friend" Answered Bofur with a grin a brief wiggle of eyebrow.

_8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888_

Jarogniew looked out the window of his study and scrutinized the moon high in the sky. In just a few days it would be full and he could implement his plan. Now he just needed someone to do it. Someone he was sure would get the job done, due to the magic his "nephew" had flowing within him he wouldn't be able to get near him himself. Nor would any of his loyal troll followers, their disguises would dissolve- a rather painful process- in the face of his combined gifts. And though the lot of them wouldn't turn to stone like their mountain or cave cousins, direct sun on deep-forest troll skin was not a pleasant experience.

He needed someone local that the lad knew and could get him alone, and that he could manipulate to be loyal to him and to do what he asked since he was blind when it came to Bilbo's actions and the doings around him.

Belladonna Baggins had been a very smart woman to have her son blessed by the Moon, very smart indeed.

The troll had been thinking quite some time about who to hire for the job, then a thought occurred to him. Taking a light sip from the goblet of wine in his hand Jarogniew asked, "What do you think of the bow-woman Bard? She's known to the estate and has done some jobs for me before, I'm sure it won't be too huge a leap to get her to do a little killing."

The mirror was silent and then said "She will object to killing the boy…but could be persuaded to action with the right motivation."

Jarogniew turned toward the mirror and grinned darkly, "Is she still involved with that drunkard smithy woman?"

"Oh yes." Confirmed the spirit in the mirror, her lips seemed to be smirking.

"Then we will threaten the dwarf and her half-breed son as leverage, as well as the human's own life. Where is she?"

The mirror was silent for a moment, and then spoke "She travels toward home through the forest, her pace is slow for she carries a heavy burden."

"Then I shall summon her in the morn." He said with a laugh.

_Yes random OC/OC yuri. lol _

_Minerva means caring and is the name of a warlike mother goddess in greek/roman mythology. Quirke means heart. Timur means Iron._

_And yes I made Ori a woman again, the idea tickles me._


	4. The Moon Sees

_*Author's Note* To Whom It May Concern: Updates will have high possibility of slowing due to my studying abroad, RL will be very involving and I have three wonderful roommates who do not need to know I write fanfiction. _

_Anyway enjoy and I own Nothing!_

Three- The Moon Sees

Shamira sighed as she began heating up water for the "honored" head of the house, Clovis. The man had held the pattern of rising with the sun and drinking this odd mixture of herbs and plants with heated water that he called "tea" ever since he came here, not even Bilbo got up this early and he was blessed by the Sun!

Now Shamira knew tea, her Belladonna had been a rather refined tea drinker in her time-though she did like to spike her drinks with a little bit of spirit now and again- and the packet of "tea" that Clovis had one of his odd ilk hand her every morning for that day's portion was not said beverage.

At least not one she had ever seen before or would ever recommend, the mixture smelled like a swamp or bog and smelled even worse when heated up. As she poured the hot water from the kitchen stove to the special kettle filled with Clovis' drink she once more felt the temptation to put something extra into in.

A rather inedible something extra that was hazardous to the health, but like always she refused. As improved as things would be with her little Bilbo back in his proper place she knew he would not forgive her for her actions, and then she would not be able to forgive herself.

Clovis would be done in by someone someday, but not by her.

She rang the small bell in the kitchen and in a moment one of Clovis' special maids- a stern looking girl who spoke to almost no one and only wore black- came in and left with the tray without a word. Not too long after she left the kitchen someone entered, Shamira narrowed her eyes upon seeing Bard the bow-woman entering her domain.

Now Bard was a nice enough woman, rather grim faced and quiet- and much older than she seemed if tales of her being about even in the late Lord Bungo's days were true- but she had been seen doing a task or two for Clovis before. None in the manor knew for sure what she did- though rumors abounded- or why Clovis chose her to do these tasks instead of one of his own staff was anyone's guess. But because of her involvement with Clovis many found it hard to trust her, no matter how harmless she seemed as one of the local hunters and as the sweet heart of Minerva Quirke.

And despite Bilbo's assurance that there was no evil in her, Shamira still didn't like it when he talked with the human.

So with a casual grab of a kitchen knife and a rag to wipe at imaginary spots upon the blade, Shamira greeted the new arrival.

"Hello Bard, how can I help you this morning?" It always paid to be polite.

"I need to talk to you Shamira." Answered Bard after a curt nod as greeting.

Shamira raised a brow and paused in her wiping. "What about?"

"About the soul twice blessed, Bilbo Baggins."

The dwarf woman felt her blood freeze, with a whirl Shamira faced the woman and unconsciously held out the blade.

"How do you know about that?!" Bilbo had said none had seen him at the fair yesterday.

"Clovis has plans for him and I want your help." Though the woman spoke calmly, despite the knife pointed at her, something in her tone made Shamira ask. "With what?"

"With saving Bilbo's life."

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Bofur rubbed at his face as he stood behind the counter of the Seven Son's stall, as per usual at this time on the second day of "The Great Traveling Market" things were rather slow. He never understood it, the event lasted three days- it used to be a week but legislation and general wealth had shrunk the time slot- and it seemed no one wanted to buy gems except for the first day and last day.

A prime example of the early bird getting the better fair- though every one of their gems were good quality things- and last minute rush. With the middle day only ever really having stragglers or individuals who only liked to shop for jewels and things in relative peace.

So long story short he was rather bored, and worried.

Because it was the slow part of the day it was only him and his cousin Bifur at the counter. Well, he was at the counter, Bifur sat on a nearby stool carving and looking at things, as he was wont to do, so as to discourage any from thinking they could rob anything. Anyway, this left Bofur with his thoughts and as much as he'd like to solely contemplate the lovely Bilbo "Underhill" and their date later on that day, other thoughts kept occupying his mind.

Such as the news Minerva Quirke had brought to the attention of Nori and then the rest of the company of the Seven Son's. Namely it was the fact that unrest was spreading like wild fire throughout the regions in this part of the land. Though there were grumblings in the other parts of the old kingdom of Lohr, nobles and peasants alike in the lands to the west were actually making plans to overtake the Royal City and appoint a leader.

This. Was. Very. Bad.

The throne of the kingdom of Lohr had been empty for 776 years, as the legend went the last king had been a much beloved ruler and was half fey, or half "fair-folk", which meant he could've been anything from half troll to half elf to many more things; that was oral tradition for you. But due to unfortunate circumstance by the time he was nearing the end of his life he had no one to leave the kingdom to. At least no one he saw fit to inherit it, as Bofur came to understand.

So, using a bit of magic the good king placed a sort of "curse" upon the throne and the kingdom, he declared that the only one worthy to truly rule the land was one who "held the loyalty of the Sun, Moon, Earth and Sea within their court" and could answer this question: "What were the swiftest, fattest, softest, and loveliest things in the world?"

If any but this individual would try to truly rule the kingdom as sovereign then the land would become hard and grey, deprived of life and magic. For the old ruler felt the land would be better spent as a waste and the people dispersed to better lands than for all to suffer under the rule of one unworthy.

Just before dying this king appointed his trusted steward to oversee the task and told him the answer to the riddle. And this steward, followed by his descendants, ensured the land would be ruled as it had been under that king's reign and awaited the one who would fulfill the king's final terms.

None ever could. And eventually they stopped trying.

And as a result rule of individual regions had slowly moved toward the governing nobles, which in many cases wasn't a very bad thing. But it lead to a rather divided nation, and corruption. And it did not help matters that others from surrounding lands and realms went about their business around or through the stagnant kingdom. Even the dwarfs, with their own displaced floating court, took advantage and had started a new foothold by claiming a large portion of the mines to the northwest of the land and controlling the flow of goods and services for them.

Many citizens of the kingdom did not believe in the legend and claimed it to only be a tale spun by the steward-whose true name was remembered by few- and his line so they could have power.

The fact that lands, such as this one, which had begun to be known as "The Shire", were showing signs of darkness and decay did not help matters.

Minerva had had many orders in the past months to make weapons or to sharpen farming tools, and she and her son had heard many things down the grapevine. The duo had even caught word that there was unrest in the realms of the Golden Woods, the nearby domain of the Golden-bearded trolls. A respected and well known race, though their inner ways were as secretive as the dwarfs to those thought of as untrustworthy.

How they caught such word was a secret known only to them and Nori, who refused to reveal anything under the reason that it would "compromise the source". Thorin let it be, so the company did. Bofur believed it, Nori was secretive but he was a true dwarf. If he didn't say it was for good reason.

Whether the reason was more for himself or others, was another matter though.

It took the whole company practically the entire night to coax information out of one of Nori's favorite informants; by the end of it Minerva was morosely sober, Thorin was plotting broodily with Dwalin, Nori and their financier Gloin, and Bofur and Dori were left to give relationship advice to a hung over black smith.

For breakfast Bifur served them all roasted greens with fruits and berries, and despite himself Bofur had wished his brother Bombur, a marvelous cook and young father of newborn twin girls, had come with them this time instead. But only for a fleeting, frustrated moment.

At least the Market food was served hot and early with such beautiful, tasty ale. It did wonders for the mood.

Bofur longed for some of the sweet nectar as he watched a fop aristocrat show one sparkling prize after another from their selection of emeralds and diamonds to his fussy lady-friend – they were apparently the only ones that interested her-for the third time in a row.

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Bilbo blew out a nervous breath as he made his way out of his home, the large manor of Bag-End. He had spruced up his attire for the occasion- a nice clean patterned shirt and breeches and a freshly washed hood and light shoes- and quickly crept through the halls. His uncle had actually spoken with him today and asked of his wellbeing and current doings!

It had sent true chills down his spine; Bilbo had lied through his teeth about everything. Clovis' mirror wouldn't be able to see if it was true anyway. He had wanted to talk to Shamira about it, but the older dwarf woman had been occupied all day. She had left the cooking to Zan, Juno and himself for the day and had gone off to do other tasks. She had apparently been in such a state since the early morning, and none truly knew the reason for it.

On an unrelated note-to Bilbo anyway, everyone else claimed this was the cause- Bard had been seen entering and leaving the manor, apparently having been summoned for something. Bilbo was glad to hear she was back and couldn't wait to see his friend in the next upcoming days.

Luckily Juno and Zan had been willing to cover for him for the evening meal- it was a continuation of the afternoon meal with a few bits added anyway-and Bilbo had been given the time he needed to prepare for his…date.

He could feel his heart flutter and his blood buzz a bit at the thought. Due to his…condition and station Bilbo had had little interaction of the _romantic_ sort. Oh a kiss there, a touch here. It had all culminated in him realizing certain things about himself, mainly that someone like Bofur was ridiculously to his tastes.

He sent a prayer to the Moon for all to go well- he could see Her shining bright in the sky, almost full- as he crept through the manor's outer grounds. Bilbo let out an inaudible hiss as he saw that the outer gates were closed and more of Clovis' personal guard were on duty than was the usual routine. It seemed that Clovis' paranoia had him setting up for the night even earlier than before….

How was he going to get out?

The question answered itself as a sudden bit of brightness caught his eye. The branches of the large ornamental shrub Bilbo had hidden behind had moved, revealing one of the many trees placed about. This particular one had caught his eye because of its leaves, his mother had called it a "golden oak" and it was living up to its namesake. In the light of the nearly full moon the leaves of the plant seemed to glint and shimmer like green gems set in gold settings.

The tree was positioned in such a way that a skilled individual could climb up into its branches and cross over to the far wall, where they then could jump to one of the nearby trees Bilbo knew grew close to that side of the wall.

If he timed it right, Bilbo could get out scot free. Good thing he was no stranger to climbing things, one had to make due when they were a "respectable height" and not truly tall after all. With a quick look about Bilbo made his way to the tree and began to climb, the guards would- or at least should, as they would with lesser numbers- move and turn not to long from now and he wished to be at the ready in the tree to save as much time as possible.

He had just begun to climb up upon the branches when Bilbo felt a tug upon his hood, with a squeak of surprise Bilbo looked about to see Shamira gazing at him. She wore an unreadable expression upon her face, though Bilbo could see sorrow and worry within it.

"I'm sorry me dear, but you aren't going anywhere."

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Bofur whistled a little tune as he made his way out of the small cart that he and his cousin shared, he couldn't wait to see his little, golden lad. Bofur stopped in his tracks, though, as he noted the scene before him. The caravan of the company of the Seven Sons consisted of four carts that were each pulled by a single well bred horse. As was procedure for the dwarfs these carts were parked in a circle around a fire pit as a sort of campsite with their stall for the market being not too far away. And a good little area for the horses was a short distance away as well.

Bofur always marveled at how Gloin managed to negotiate the terms of such favorable placement with the events master of The Shire year after year, it was a perfect balance of words and coin that left everyone happy.

This night Thorin, Bifur, Dwalin, Gloin, and Nori sat around a low burning fire on half-logs that had been placed as make-shift benches. The Moon shined brightly down upon them all and Bard the bow-woman, who sat in the midst of them. The air held a palpable tenseness.

"What's goin' on?" He asked.

All turned to him, but it was Nori who answered.

"Nothing good."

_As you can see, as my plots gets more involved my chapter titles do not. hahahaaha _

_The Golden Oak is a real tree, also known as the DWARF OAK due to it's size, the way it's coloration works is part imagination on my part and part reality. ...Its a golden oak and a dwarf oak...coincidence? Not to me! huehuehue_

_Rosa Cotton's ( a user on Ao3) prediction came true about our boys' date._

_*flies away into the night*_


	5. Things Come to Light

_God my imagination is running free with this._

_Well, here you are Dear Reader!_  
_Happy Valentine's Day to you, whether single or otherwise. :) _

_I own nothing. Enjoy and feel free to tell me how this is going._

Four- Things Brought to Light

Bilbo sat in the kitchen of his home on a small stool and watched Shamira putter about as she gathered some last minute food supplies to put in his knapsack. Said knapsack currently rested on the floor and was filled with clothes and things the dwarf-woman had Bilbo pack the night before. Next to the bag rested the late Lord Bungo's favorite walking stick, an almost completely straight piece of petrified elm that came just a bit over Bilbo's head, and the late Lady Belladonna's old sword, Sting was its name and it had been a gift from an elf-lord that she had helped in her youth.

It was mid-morning and they were the only ones in the kitchen at the moment, Zan and Juno had been sent off to do errands and word had been spread to the other servants that Bilbo was to do an early check of the plant life on the southern border of the lands with Bard as a guide. This was an actual chore the Bilbo did and that Bard helped with, though someone else usually came with them, and it was also not the first time that it was done off schedule.

Bard had a habit of knowing when the failing foliage had hit a critical low and would go to Bilbo to see if he could see to its health.

Bilbo had been out of sorts since yesterday, when Shamira had caught him trying to sneak out. She had not scolded him for his behavior nor for the fact that someone had seen him, though she obviously wasn't pleased. She refused to tell him very much, using her dwarfish sign language to tell him all would be explained later to him by Bard when she came to pick him up. The young man had had no choice but to comply, not only was Shamira a very strong dwarf-woman but also the fear and anguish she had was very real.

It sent the hairs on the back of his neck on end. So he had done as he was told, trying and failing to drown the coils of emotion that settled in his belly with tea and some food.

He hoped Bofur would not be hurt or think ill of him for not showing up last night.

Bilbo was brought out of his thoughts with the sound of knocking on the back door of the kitchen. Shamira promptly opened it and in stepped Bard. She was dressed in her usual hunting leathers and gear, a pack was slung on her back alongside her quiver and bow.

She gave him a small smile and he somehow felt reassured. If only for a moment.

With a bone crushing hug and a slightly tearful farewell from Shamira Bilbo set out after Bard and the two made their way out of the grounds and into the surrounding woods. There were some clouds in the sky but Bilbo made sure to keep his hood low; his mother's old sword was an odd weight on his hip. He had some skill with it, but he was not used to wearing it and walking about.

His father's "old stick" was a familiar weight in his hand though, Lord Bungo had gotten it from one of his own travels- as few as they had been for he was one to not wander far- and none were truly sure how he had gotten it. His father had claimed publicly he had simply found it while lost in some very old woods far north and just liked it, his mother had told tales of how it was a gift from a fairy queen as a sign of good faith, some servants and even townspeople though it was a bit of bone from a giant or some such creature; Shamira just thought it was a good bit of "stone wood", as she called it.

Either way Bilbo was glad to have it, it was strong and rather light weight; he had some skills to use it both offensively and defensively. As several ruffians and confrontational wildlife had come to learn over the years.

Bilbo brought himself out of his thoughts as he saw that they were still going deeper and deeper into the forest-and decidedly NOT in the direction of the southern border of the land around Bag-End. As a matter of fact they were going in the same direction as Bard was always seen venturing when she went on her hunting trips. He looked to the woman and frowned, her smile had been her only bit of communication to him all day.

When they left she had simply gone forward, not looking back to check if he was following or not. Bilbo had tried to break the silence several times, mostly to get answers but also so his friend would talk to him, but every time he tried the words died in his throat. Something told him now was not the time to make noise but to simply get away, as if a large predator was just behind them and was only seconds away from finding them.

Finally sometime in the early afternoon they stopped at a clearing in the woods. The grass was mostly green and dotted with wild flowers. The trees were cleared in an almost perfect oval; their somewhat dull leaves swayed in the slight wind. The clouds had parted and sunlight poured into the clearing like golden water into a green bowl.

"This seems as good a place as any." Intoned Bard as she set her things upon the ground in the shade of some trees. Bilbo followed her example and sat down on a short stump from some long gone tree. He watched silently as she rooted through her pack and pulled out a small bag which she then preceded to open and whisper some words over, Bilbo's tongue continued to fail him.

It came back under his control when she suddenly threw what seemed like dust over him after throwing some upon herself.

"What in the- Bard! _Ppptthhhhhh!_ Bleck! What is this?!" Some had gotten into his mouth, it tasted just terrible.

"Protection." She answered.

Bilbo harrumphed. "Bard you mind telling what in the bloody hell is going on?"

The young man wasn't usually one to swear, but his patience was wearing rather thin and they had not stopped once all day. Even having only a walking lunch of bread and fruits picked along the way. The woman seemed nonplussed by his words, she even managed to smile when she heard him curse. She put the bag away in her pack and after dusting her hands on her pants she turned to him and said

"If you wish to know, follow me into the sun light and leave your cloak behind."

He watched in confusion as she took off the hood of her cloak and walked to the middle of the sunlit clearing. With trepidation he stood and walked to the edge where light met shadow, his hands on the clasp of his cloak.

If he did as instructed then his nature of being blessed by the Sun would be revealed, but something told him it would not be a surprise. After once more reassuring himself that Bard was a friend and had no mal-intent he could discern, Bilbo undid the clasp and let his cloak fall to the floor. His steps were slow as he walked into the full sunlight. Immediately his skin and hair began to shine, the very light seeming to rejoice in the opportunity of falling upon him. His toes curled in his light boots and he resisted the urge to take them off and his socks to feel the sun soaked grass beneath his bare feet.

When he got to her Bilbo saw that though Bard was not surprised by his nature, her awe and delight was still obvious.

"What's going on Bard? Please, tell me."

Bard looked at him a moment and gave a small, sad smile.

"Bilbo, what is a changeling?"

"The offspring of some elf, troll or other member of the "fair folk" that has been secretly left behind in place of a human child."

Her smile grew at his automatic, yet no less confused response. She knew he knew this.

"Yes, that about sums it up. You see Bilbo, there is much more going on than you know. Events are moving about you, and now you have become a true part of them. As am I. Bilbo, I am not the "real" Enid Bard. Human daughter of the huntsman Galen and the tanner Delilah; I am a changeling that was put in her place over fifty years ago."

"What." His disbelief was palpable.

Without missing a beat Bard reached into her shirt and lifted a small pouch that was tied closed and hung from a rope around her neck. She lifted said rope from her neck and held the charm out away from her before dropping it softly to the ground.

A bright shimmer enveloped her for a moment and then was gone. Suddenly before him was not the Bard he knew. Instead stood what his mother had told him a deep-forest troll would look like. While Bard had towered over him, this creature was just about eye level. She had very long, pointed ears with Bard's piercings in them. Her hair was now a bright orange gold color that came down in a waist length braid in the back and a light beard in the front, her skin was a tanned peach with a gray undertone to it. Her features were somewhat sharp and rather young and her form was both willowy yet solid looking.

A long tail tipped at the end with curled hair swayed behind her. Her features shined just a bit in the sunlight.

Though the female before him wore a shrunken set of Bard's clothes and stood just where she had he did not believe it was her until he saw her eyes. They were still the same shade of woody brown as he had come to know.

Bilbo promptly sat upon the floor and took a few calming breaths. Bard sat with him and stayed silent, allowing him the necessary time to recover. Finally, after a time, Bilbo regained the ability to speak.

"If you're not really Bard who are you? And what happened to the _real_ Bard?" He was proud to see that his voice sounded calm as he spoke.

"My true name is Einar, daughter of Selby and Adir. I am a spy and guard loyal to the good Queen Reut of the Golden-bearded trolls. At a young age my parents drafted me into the secret service of Queen Fleur, the wife of the then King Zbigniew. He allowed her to have her own guard, I was one of few selected to be a sort of "away guard" for the kingdom. After training we were placed where we could keep a constant eye on the neighboring lands around our realm. Some just took up an identity while some of us took another's place.

The real Enid Bard was observed and a charm made for me so as to take on her form smoothly and painlessly. One bright day she ran off into the fields to play and when she was called in for lunch I went in her place. She is now a noble woman of the High Troll Court and is the wife of the Head Record Keeper. Her son is a lovely young thing."

Bilbo furrowed his brows, the gears of his mind working double time to make sense of what he was hearing. He continuously swept his eyes over the troll before him, he could now feel a much more magical and earthy aura around "Einar", expressions he was so used to seeing now crossed unfamiliar features. A story so fantastic that he would not have believed it if he himself did not have magic in his life.

"If you are truly a troll why do you sit in the sunlight? Even with their Sun worship the Golden-bearded deep forest trolls can't stand direct sun."

Here she tilted her head to the side and gave a smirk, "True, but unlike most I have stood in the light of the Sun a very long time. It does not hurt anymore."

With a deep breath Bilbo asked, "And what does all of this have to do with me?"

A tired expression came upon the troll woman's face.

"That is where things get a tad…complicated. Firstly, not too long afterward the good Queen and King died and were succeeded by their son the High Prince Jarogniew. He quickly disbanded any and all secret services and amassed them into the already assembled guard for one giant army under his rule. But while other agents were recalled…I was not. I do not know why, but my name fell through the cracks of scrutiny. For many years I was left behind to lead a human life, and I became friends with a certain young Lord who paid homage to the Sun just as I did. I even helped him to build the home he planned to present to his sweetheart as a wedding present."

"You knew my father…." Bilbo couldn't stop the wistfulness and surprise from entering his tone.

"Bungo was a lovely man, smart and of impeccable character if not a bit subdued. You are much like him, Bilbo. Eventually he and I both were approached by Prince Leutwin, young son of the then Princess Reut. This is when I learned that Jarogniew was a corrupt King, and a ruthless conqueror. His attention had turned to the Sun drenched fields of The Shire and once more my services were needed. I swore my allegiance to the Prince and his mother and aided them and your father in their efforts to slow Jarogniew down and usurp him.

And though we succeeded in taking the foul troll from power, Jarogniew had his revenge. I am sorry to admit I could not prevent the death of Prince Leutwin, Queen Reut is certain that it was her brother who orchestrated his demise. Though there is little proof.

She ordered me to remain at my post, and despite my best efforts I could not save Bungo, or your mother. His magic was much too strong, my meager skills as a low-level caster were no match for his schemes."

"A-are you saying this exiled king killed my parents?!"

"And took up the identity of your true uncle, Clovis Baggins." She could not meet his eyes as she said this.

Bilbo couldn't catch his breath; thoughts, doubts and half formed assumptions swirled about his brain. Anger and sadness boiled through his veins. Before he knew it he asked

"And what of my real Uncle? Why hasn't your "Good" Queen seen to the imposter's removal?!"

Here an expression of frustration and dark resignation came to the troll woman's features.

"Ancient Law forbids direct interference with the goings on in the Kingdom of Lohr without the King's consent. As was agreed in the treaty forged between the First Human King of the Land the Good King Isildur, destroyer of the Dark Relic, and the ancient Lords of Old. Queen Reut is one to stick to the laws, and since there is and was no _King_, consent could not be given and nothing direct could be done. Only I was left to see what could be done with Jarogniew, for I had been on the land for so long and kept my cover so well that he saw me simply as a human.

The ex-Troll King had barricaded himself well within the manor of Bag-End and always knew when Queen Reut sent her other forces to try and destroy him. Over time my doings around Bag-End were interpreted as attempts to fall under Jarogniew's service; Queen Reut ordered me to pursue this line of action so as to keep an eye on his operations and kill him at 'the best possible opportunity'."

"And no _opportunity_ has presented itself?" Bilbo asked bitterly.

Einar added her own bitterness to his. "To me, there has been. But when one pledges themselves to the service of a ruler of the more magical fair folk, they follow orders. _In Life, Fealty and Obedience. In Battle, Victory. In Peace, Vigilance. In Death, Duty._ Words bind us, Bilbo Baggins. And I am bound to the will of my Queen, I was ordered to wait and watch, and waiting and watching is what I have done.

But now things are moving, and I have a chance to act.

Bilbo… Jarogniew plans to kill you, for he seeks more power. All of this time he has tried to retake the Troll Kingdom with your home as the base of his operations, all of his "special staff" are trolls in disguise just like himself. Yesterday he threatened me to take your heart at high noon tomorrow and bring it back to him. To take the heart of one blessed by two Great Gods is a very dark magic and would make him unstoppable.

"H-how do you know I am…twice blessed?"

"Your mother was open to any suggestion on how to best protect you. The patron Gods of your two families would be the most logical choice of guardians. Don't you think?" She paused and gave him a look. He could only stare with his mouth open.

She continued.

"So I will take you to see my Queen, she is holding open court on that same day and if I present the problem to her then she will receive you openly."

"…She wouldn't otherwise?"

"I do not know, fey can be hard to judge Bilbo. Remember that. But if she has no solution, others might. Many respect those blessed by the Great Ones, and you are blessed by the Great Pair. And if all else fails, I have asked a favor of some friends. But that is a plan to discuss another time, the Sun is making his descent and we should set up camp."

She was right, it was now approaching dusk and the sky was dotted with thick clouds. In no time at all Einar had risen and resumed her Bard disguise, and once more Bilbo could sense practically no magic from her. Seeing the familiar form was strangely comforting, and before long the two were working about to make camp as they had so many times before.

Bilbo was quiet once more as they ate an early meal and went to bed, his mind replaying everything he had learned and trying to make sense of it all.

His uncle was really an ex-royal troll who had killed his parents, and most likely his real uncle as well. His friend was really a troll who had tried to stop him but couldn't and knew his parents. She had had a hand in his current condition. And sometime tomorrow he was going to see a Troll Queen who was the sister and apparent enemy of the one who had killed his parents and was probably just as likely to help him as she was to kill him. Even if she was "Good".

Lovely.

Bilbo looked up and stared at the Moon through the trees, Her silvery face was almost full and shined in between the clouds. He sent a small prayer to Her, and then curled further into his sleeping roll.

He needed his rest.

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"Bard…"

Einar couldn't help the smile that came to her face at hearing Bilbo address her. She had feared he would distance himself and reject her after she revealed the truth to him. And though the young human was obviously shocked and a little dodgy around her still, the fact that he had called her by that name sent warmth right to her chest.

For she had come to like being Bard the Bow-woman, and wanted her friends to call her as such.

When Bilbo called her again she turned and answered, "Yes?"

The two were currently making their way through thick forest, it was completely unfamiliar territory to Bilbo and the longer they walked the more magic he sensed and the more uneasy he felt.

"What are we going to do? If your Queen can't directly do anything to stop Jarogniew due to the Ancient Laws, what is the point in asking her? What about everyone back home?"

Einar sighed and ran a hand through her hair a bit before stopping and turning to face Bilbo.

"The point is more in having your plight become known. The Open Court is a time when things can be done and words can be said that couldn't be otherwise. As I said before, if my Queen cannot find a way, someone else will. Don't be afraid, you'll be safe here. No one will touch you. And I will see to it that our friends back home will be fine."

Bard placed a comforting hand on his shoulder as she spoke. Bilbo nodded his head in understanding and the two set off again.

After a time the forest grew greener and denser, but despite this more light seemed to seep through the thick canopy above. Or at least the light that did come through looked brighter and more golden than it had before.

Bilbo watched in fascination as they began to pass large boulders and rocks, each had visible runes carved upon them and were covered in clovers and moss. He could feel the very forest breathe all around him and had to resist the urge to take off his hood to fully enjoy the pooling light around them.

His grip upon his father's walking stick and the feel of his mother's weapon upon his hip kept him grounded.

Eventually they came to a stone archway, it stood between two trees and was covered in moss and clovers. Through it one could only see more forest, but Bilbo could see the shimmer of magic rippling between the stones. Runes could be seen, carved on the top.

Bard stopped before the Archway and took off her charm and put it away.

"What do they say?"

Bard looked up at the message inscribed upon the door of her Kingdom and hummed.

"May the power of Freyr light the way of all who enter, and burn away the darkness."

The two looked up at the words for a moment before walking forward through the archway, Bilbo took a deep calming breath to steady his nerves.

_Freyr is the name of an old school Sun God. _

_Sort of an info dump chapter. Was the twist ridiculous? I hope not. hahaha_

_My description of what the troll looks like is the love child of some research, picture searches, and my muse. _  
_I might make a drawing and upload it, IDK_

_Einar means lonely warrior. Or some such._


	6. Clovers and Berries

_Well, here we are! Hope you enjoy!_

_I own nothing!_

Five- Clovers and Berries

The Kingdom of the Golden-bearded Trolls, the City within the Golden Woods…was nothing that Bilbo had ever seen before. Buildings that seemed a mix of rock and tree, of plant and earth lay in organized, sprawling patterns. Cloves grew everywhere. Streets of beaten, warm soil were wide and full of crowds.

And the people.

Or "fair folk".

Were the greatest wonder of all.

Bilbo could not help but stare. Beings Bilbo had only heard tales about walked and talked amicably with one another, even those not known to get along. He saw beings of Ice and Snow talking with those of the Sea, or Summer. Wizards and dwarves and elves conversed or strolled about. There were goblins and orcs, and even a few cave trolls, wrapped in heavy cloaks.

All hummed with the magic of the world, it overloaded his senses. He had to pull his hood down a bit more to try and block some of it out.

But, despite this, the ones who grabbed his attention the most were the citizens of the city. Bilbo saw that Bard shared many traits with those of her race. Those of the Golden-bearded trolls all stood at heights equivalent to dwarfs- though some could be as short as gnomes or as tall as humans, he saw- and had long, flowing hair on head and tail ranging from platinum blonde to reddish-gold like his friend.

But there were two differences that made Bilbo keep his attention to them, despite Bard's rather rapid pace, for they caused him to search each new individual he saw for a similarity. But try as he might, he never saw another with skin like Bard's, all were of the palest peachy-grey color; and he never saw another with her eye color. A kaleidoscope of hues from purple to the deepest ruby red, but Bard was the only one with he saw brown eyes.

They had eventually made their way to the Queen's Palace, a large sprawling masterpiece covered in vines and clovers. And bathed in bright, golden light. The large doors were open and allowed one to see into the structure of the main audience hall, large benches filled the sides of the main floor-and they themselves were filled with people-and lines of individuals were grouped together before the throne. Those speaking would be presented on the main floor, a slightly raised platform of stone covered in clovers, and a large branch or gathering of flowers was presented over them as they stood in the center. Different for each race of speaker.

This cast the individual into slight shadow, for light shone brightly from the clear roof. At first Bilbo thought it was glass but the more he looked at the shine the more it looked to be some sort of crystal or clear rock. Currently a pixie spoke, her voice squeaky and tinkling like a bell, above her was raised a mass of lovely pink flowers.

Bilbo witnessed this all from the corner of the room, Bard had told him to wait there as she went to talk to some guards not too far away. The female troll had been secretive their entire time in the Kingdom. Despite removing her human disguise she had lifted her hood and made to swiftly move through the crowds while attracting as little attention as possible. Even so, one individual-what looked like a wizard in grey clothes- seemed to recognize Bard and gave her a subtle greeting, which she had returned.

Bilbo returned his attention to the open court, and finally set his eyes upon the ruler of the land. Across the room, upon a thrown of stone and clovers sat the Good Queen Ruet. An array of Comet Orchids adorned the top of her throne, as well as her long, light gold hair. She was slim and held herself with poise and elegance. Her skin was of the palest of pale peach- grey and her eyes a light lilac color. Her clothes were of flowing gold and greens, the details of which were lost to him due to his distance. He could see that she wore a crown of what appeared to be interwoven thistles and a short scepter of a dark wood.

Her voice was melodic when she spoke, and held benign power. This was not a woman to be trifled with. He watched as a messenger slid his way to her side and waited for her to finish with the pixie girl, when she left the platform the Queen held a hand to hold the next speaker while her attendant spoke into her ear. Her slightly smiling face did not change expression as she listened, but those close enough could see her brows furrow slightly. But that was the only indication of her inner thoughts. The troll-Queen nodded her head when all was said and gave a silent command with the flick of her wrist. The attendant bowed and made his way away.

Bilbo ran his eyes over the crowd again marveling at the vast array of races there. It was then something caught his eye, off to the side… a furry hat. It seemed familiar, he tried to focus on it. Could it be? Was it-

A hand clamped upon his shoulder, startling him a bit. He looked over to see Bard, her expression serious. She motioned for him to follow and soon they were walking down a side hall with an attendant leading the way. Eventually they were showed into a room and told to wait there, for the Queen would be with them in a little while.

That…was unexpected.

"I thought we were going to speak in the audience hall?" Asked Bilbo as he removed his hood and placed his things upon a long bench. He looked about the simple yet still lovely meeting room.

His response was a long sigh as Bard practically draped herself on a chair and removed her hood. Her bag and weapons rested up against it. She straightened after a moment and looked at him.

"It was. But my efforts to try to get us to the front of the crowd faster ended up "winning" us an audience with my Queen alone. Although the rules of Open Court will still apply, and if she knows of others who could help us she will have to tell me of them."

Taking her cue Bilbo sat upon a seat next to Bard.

"Why the rush? I know of what…you're supposed to be doing today…at noon. But that's not going to happen?" His last statement ended up sounding more like a question than he meant it to. The hour in question was fast approaching.

It was minutes away, actually. He was unsure of how he knew, but he did.

Bard turned to him, a frown upon her face.

"No, I will not take your heart Bilbo. But I had hoped…I had hoped to have things settled at least somewhat before noon. So we both could be aware but…" She trailed off, biting her lip.

Bilbo straightened in his chair, worry visible on his face.

"Bard, what exactly do you mean?"

Bard knelt toward her bag and pulled a small drawstring pouch out, it was small and purple in color. She opened it and withdrew what looked like a berry, it was bright red and perfectly round. She quickly closed the bag and just seemed to stare at the small fruit in her hand a moment. Saying nothing.

Then she spoke, "Bilbo. Do you trust me?"

"What? I, well…yes. I do."

She looked at him then, her eyes searching.

"Truly?"

"Yes." He made sure to sound firm.

She held out the berry to him.

"Then eat this, and whatever happens try not to panic. It'll only make it worse."

His brows rose to nearly his hair line. "Bard?! What is going on? I won't take that until you tell me what it does!" He had slowly inched away as he spoke, and now he was pressed up against the back of his chair. It wasn't that he didn't trust her…it just sounded suspicious.

Without changing expression Bard said, "This will momentarily stop you're heart and knock you unconscious for a small while. Please Bilbo, we don't have time. The mirror is watching. She cannot tell of where you are or what you are doing precisely but she can tell when you are alive or dead. And I know Jarogniew is watching. Waiting."

She held out the berry, both pleading, apologetic and impatient. She was desperate.

"Please!"

Slowly Bilbo held out a hand and watched as the berry was dropped into his palm. He brought it close to his face and became aware of a lovely smell, lovelier than any berry had a right to smell.

"This is enchanted."

"Yes, but only slightly so."

He looked over at Bard, uncertain. He looked at the woman who was both unfamiliar and familiar for so many reasons, she looked in turn. He came to a decision. With a gulp and breath for courage Bilbo tossed the berry into his mouth and swallowed it whole. A moment later he gave a wheeze, his breath seemingly caught in his throat.

A pain began in his chest, his tongue felt thick, his mouth was dry. He doubled over in the chair. Bard came forward and rested him upon her chest. He gripped at the front of her clothes and tried to focus on her face, his vision was fuzzy. Darkness began to creep along the edges of his vision. He tried to speak but could not, his lungs constricted, deprived of air.

A warmth, both numbing and slightly painful suddenly blossomed within his chest. He let out a gasp.

And then everything went black.

_8888_

Jarogniew sat at his desk, idly looking out the window as his slave within the mirror spoke to him about the growing plans of locals to overthrow the Kingdom. He smirked, he might decide to "help" after he got his own kingdom back.

Suddenly the spirit stopped mid-sentence. And then, emotionlessly, she said

"The heart of Bilbo Baggins has ceased to beat. Right upon the Mid-Day Hour."

As she spoke the lone clock within the room had begun to tell the time, the simple mechanism clanking softly. The disguised troll grinned, the look quite devilish.

"Excellent. All according to plan."

_Ugh! Short chapter! But the next is already in the works of being written so never fear dear reader!_

_Okay! Comet orchids and Thistles are supposed to mean Nobility and Royalty. Clovers are meant for prosperity and luck and all that good stuff. _

_Can I just say that uploading has begun kind of a bitch lately? I have to jump through a few hoops to make sure my formatting comes out right when I upload. Like what the hell man, for both this site AND Archive Of Our Own. Anyone else having a problem? ugh!_


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